October 17, 2003

San Francisco Chronicle

Every society has its founding myth. In Sumeria, Nammu the sea goddess gave birth to Heaven and Earth. In what was to become the United States, a young man arose who couldn't tell a lie. For the Stanford Mendicants, it began with a 14-man surprise march into the dining hall of a women's dormitory.

"The women hushed," says Peary Spaght, who witnessed this miracle with his own eyes. "They didn't know what to expect. It could have been guys throwing water balloons. Then we broke out into 'Ride the Chariot.' By the end the women were cheering. "I think women like that kind of stuff."

For 40 years the Stanford Mendicants -- the school's first a cappella singing group -- has been making women happy and forging bonds between men. More